Autocracy 2.0: How China's Rise Reinvented Tyranny

In Autocracy 2.0, Jennifer Lind reveals how China's leaders defied expectations and propelled the country to innovation-superpower status—and what that means for the balance of power and global struggle between democracy and authoritarianism.

In 2008, the world watched in awe as 2,008 men pounded Fou drums in unison at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony—a spectacle that heralded China's arrival as a global powerhouse. Yet even as China's economy skyrocketed, skeptics scoffed at its ability to lead in tech, arguing that its authoritarian institutions smother true innovation. Lind dismantles this assumption, showing that China has not just kept pace; it has, in fact, surged ahead.

Coupling hard data with razor-sharp analysis, Lind shows that China's ascent was fueled by what she calls "smart authoritarianism": a model of governance in which autocratic leaders temper tight political control with inclusive economic measures. By balancing proinnovation policies with tools of repression, China's leaders have obtained political control and economic growth. These smart authoritarians, Lind observes, are not the brass-knuckled dictators of the past—they are their polished Savile Row–clad progeny, and they are found not only in China but also in authoritarian regimes worldwide.

Compelling and incisive, Autocracy 2.0 is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand China's meteoric rise and how today's autocrats are reshaping the technological frontier, governance, and the global balance of power.

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Autocracy 2.0: How China's Rise Reinvented Tyranny

In Autocracy 2.0, Jennifer Lind reveals how China's leaders defied expectations and propelled the country to innovation-superpower status—and what that means for the balance of power and global struggle between democracy and authoritarianism.

In 2008, the world watched in awe as 2,008 men pounded Fou drums in unison at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony—a spectacle that heralded China's arrival as a global powerhouse. Yet even as China's economy skyrocketed, skeptics scoffed at its ability to lead in tech, arguing that its authoritarian institutions smother true innovation. Lind dismantles this assumption, showing that China has not just kept pace; it has, in fact, surged ahead.

Coupling hard data with razor-sharp analysis, Lind shows that China's ascent was fueled by what she calls "smart authoritarianism": a model of governance in which autocratic leaders temper tight political control with inclusive economic measures. By balancing proinnovation policies with tools of repression, China's leaders have obtained political control and economic growth. These smart authoritarians, Lind observes, are not the brass-knuckled dictators of the past—they are their polished Savile Row–clad progeny, and they are found not only in China but also in authoritarian regimes worldwide.

Compelling and incisive, Autocracy 2.0 is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand China's meteoric rise and how today's autocrats are reshaping the technological frontier, governance, and the global balance of power.

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Autocracy 2.0: How China's Rise Reinvented Tyranny

Autocracy 2.0: How China's Rise Reinvented Tyranny

by Jennifer Lind
Autocracy 2.0: How China's Rise Reinvented Tyranny

Autocracy 2.0: How China's Rise Reinvented Tyranny

by Jennifer Lind

eBook

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Overview

In Autocracy 2.0, Jennifer Lind reveals how China's leaders defied expectations and propelled the country to innovation-superpower status—and what that means for the balance of power and global struggle between democracy and authoritarianism.

In 2008, the world watched in awe as 2,008 men pounded Fou drums in unison at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony—a spectacle that heralded China's arrival as a global powerhouse. Yet even as China's economy skyrocketed, skeptics scoffed at its ability to lead in tech, arguing that its authoritarian institutions smother true innovation. Lind dismantles this assumption, showing that China has not just kept pace; it has, in fact, surged ahead.

Coupling hard data with razor-sharp analysis, Lind shows that China's ascent was fueled by what she calls "smart authoritarianism": a model of governance in which autocratic leaders temper tight political control with inclusive economic measures. By balancing proinnovation policies with tools of repression, China's leaders have obtained political control and economic growth. These smart authoritarians, Lind observes, are not the brass-knuckled dictators of the past—they are their polished Savile Row–clad progeny, and they are found not only in China but also in authoritarian regimes worldwide.

Compelling and incisive, Autocracy 2.0 is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand China's meteoric rise and how today's autocrats are reshaping the technological frontier, governance, and the global balance of power.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781501784163
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication date: 11/15/2025
Series: Cornell Studies in Security Affairs
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 244
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Lind researches the international relations of East Asia and US foreign policy toward the region. She is Associate Professor of Government at Dartmouth College and a fellow at Chatham House, London, and at Harvard University's Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies.

What People are Saying About This

Mark Zachary Taylor

A bold and well-argued attack on the thesis that authoritarian regimes are technologically stagnant.

Dan Reiter

Autocracy 2.0 convincingly demonstrates that China will innovate and compete successfully in the twenty-first century. Sobering.

Susan Shirk

As China experiences its DeepSeek AI moment and leads the world in electric vehicles and other green technologies, Westerners can no longer be smug about their technological primacy. This illuminating book explains how authoritarian China accomplished these miracles despite heavy-handed social control and Western sanctions.

Kishore Mahbubani

This book will open readers' eyes to the remarkable sophistication of Chinese elites. A must-read.

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